Lord Of The World: I Become The Lord Of The Desert From The Start Chapter 5

Richard’s gaze brightened instantly, and he swiftly accessed the [Territory Ranking].

[Twilight City]

[Territory: Level 1 Village (2,000 gold, stone, wood, and iron for upgrading)]

[Architecture: Basic Lord’s Mansion (1), Basic Residence (10), Basic Blacksmith Shop (1), Basic Barracks (1)]

[Special Building: None]

[Empty Space: 10 squares]

[Residents: Human (100 people)]

[Resources: gold (1,440 pieces), wood (1,440 units), stone (1,440 units), iron ore (2,000 units)]

[Rare Resources: mercury (0), sulfur (0), crystal (0), gemstone (0)]

[Occupied Resource Points: None]

[Territory Attribute: Yellow Sand Land (Under the protection of Lord Richard, the residents of Twilight City will not get lost in the desert, and their stamina consumption in the desert will be reduced by 30%.)]

[Troop Lair: Great Pyramid (Elite 3-stars)]

[Soldier Type: Bandaged Mummy (Elite 3-stars) (14)]

[Hero: None]

[Description: An incomparably small territory. Perhaps, the sneeze of a powerful creature could destroy it.]

Every detail of the territory appeared on the stats interface.

Though the list was short, the territory's overall stats appeared rather impressive.

Not getting lost in the desert plus a 30% drop in stamina use made it highly useful.

The kneeling residents saw Richard remain motionless for quite a while, causing cold sweat to trickle down their foreheads.

Unease swelled stronger in their hearts.

“Lord?”

The frontmost kneeling leader spoke timidly. He lifted his head slightly and uttered a faint sound, his voice trembling with anxiety.

Richard snapped back to reality then. He cleared his throat lightly and addressed them in the newly acquired common tongue of the continent.

“Rise, my people.”

“This is Twilight City, my territory, and also everyone’s home. There’s no need to be so nervous.”

The old man sighed in relief upon hearing this. He bowed deeply and sincerely to Richard before rising to his feet.

The other residents stood as well, gazing at Richard with mixtures of worry, tension, and thrill.

“The Lord really allows us to stay here?”

“Are those mummies? The troops recruited by the Lord look so powerful...”

“The Lord is too kind...”

Everyone stood dumbfounded.

Richard felt a bit taken aback by the thrilled crowd below, but the old man ahead explained it all.

These folks had wandered here from elsewhere three days prior.

Back then, the Lord’s Mansion gate stayed shut tight no matter how they pounded.

With nowhere else to turn, they camped outside.

Just an hour earlier, word spread that the Lord’s Mansion gate had swung open.

Terrified yet hopeful, they rushed over to await the territory lord’s arrival.

This had to be a newbie lord perk from the “Shining Era” game.

Population formed the backbone of any territory—essential for mining resources, constructing buildings, and farming crops.

Lacking people meant no territory could function.

The elderly leader drew a deep breath before speaking once more.

“Dear Lord, please forgive our rashness. We beg you to take us in...”

The crowd below held their breaths, eyes fixed on Richard, yearning for the answer they craved.

Facing the anxious masses, Richard stepped ahead and let his dark eyes scan across them all.

Backed by the mummy guards at his rear, his presence alone quelled the murmurs instantly.

After a brief pause, his voice boomed out.

“There’s no need to be nervous, my people.”

“In my name, I officially allow you to join my territory and become residents of Twilight City.”

“No matter what kind of work you were previously engaged in, what kind of identity you had, or what kind of experiences you had, all of these will become the past. I will not pursue your past.”

“From now on, this will be your home. Your only identity will be residents of Twilight City.”

“In the future, your life, work, and all the beautiful things will bloom in this land.

“My people, my name is Richard. Remember this name.”

His stare burned with resolve.

“As your lord, no matter how dangerous the outside world is, I will protect you and will fight for your safety.

“Even if this world will lose its light one day, I will still lead you through the long night.”

The fear and worry gripping the people below vanished under that resolute, stirring voice. In that instant, their looks shifted subtly.

Was this their lord?

[Ding~ You gave a short but extremely charming speech. You have gained the respect of everyone present. Your comprehension of leadership has increased by 20%.]

Richard’s face showed a hint of oddness at the system prompt.

‘Does this actually work?!’

Yet he composed himself fast and turned to the old man nearby.

“Where are you currently staying?”

At this moment, the elderly man’s deeply wrinkled face eased significantly, his voice filled with excitement as he addressed him.

“Lord, we are staying in the residence over there...”

While speaking, he gestured toward one side.

Richard turned to glance that way. Roughly fifty meters from the mansion stood ten two-story yellow houses arranged in a neat row.

Their rough architectural style matched the harsh desert environment perfectly.

[Resident House: (1 space)]

[Level: Basic (500 units of stone and 500 units of wood are needed to level up.)]

[Maximum Capacity: 10 people]

[Characteristics: None]

[Description: Normal residential house for civilians to live in.]

With ten basic houses available, each holding up to ten residents, they could house exactly these 100 people.

No one would be left without shelter.

Richard nodded thoughtfully. Then, as something came to mind, he inquired.

“How much food do we have now?”

These were all living humans who required food, water, and facilities for waste.

In the territory, water and food ranked as the top essentials, especially in this parched, desolate desert.

Luckily, the mummies he had recruited were undead, needing no sustenance.

A bitter look twisted the white-haired elder’s face. His spine, straight just moments before, now hunched sharply, aging him even further.

“Lord, we only have three days’ worth of food reserves... These were brought here previously.”

“Although we’ve been searching hard these past few days, the desert is not only fraught with danger, but we can’t find any food at all...”

As their leader, the white-haired elder shouldered the daily burden of feeding, watering, and handling waste for hundreds, a crushing weight that nearly suffocated him.

Richard nodded.

“I’ll think of a way to solve this.”

The [Trading Market] offered plenty of options to obtain food, provided sufficient resources were available.

Thus, gathering resources stood as the utmost priority right now.

“Have you found any resource points around the territory in the past few days?”

Wood, stone, and similar materials all came from wild resource points.

This aligned with the public records from the “Shining Era”.

Resource points came in sizes: miniature, small, medium-sized, large, and very large, based on their reserves.

Each wild resource point featured guarding soldiers. To claim one, the defenders inside had to be cleared out first.

From time to time, new resource points spawned near the territory, so depletion was never a concern.